Tighter
by Red and Gold Phoenix
Summary: Lin didn’t protest. She knew there was no point. Instead she observed her Captain’s odd behavior. For one thing, Brenner was very slow to anger and in the present moment he was livid. Another thing was his sudden invasion into her personal space.


**Well, it has been a while since I've posted anything new so I thought I would write a little something before University kills me entirly. This is another DoR fic from me. Hope you enjoy. I disclaim everything… yes it's a Lin/Brenner!**

The Captain of Brenner's Wolves stood outside a medical tent in camp. His Breathing was heavy, like the many others who had just come out of battle a mere twenty-five minutes ago. Arms crossed over his powerful chest, the Captain radiated a rare sense of fury that told others to leave him alone.

Brenner was grateful that the soldiers and civilians weren't coming to thank him or talk to him as many often did after a victorious battle. He feared that he would take out his frustration on anyone who approached. Even Will and Isabella were keeping their distance from him.

He could see them though, sitting together on a crate of supplies. They were leaned in close and Will seemed to be whispering to Isabella about something. Brenner guessed that the 17 year-old was filling her in on what had happened on the battlefield. It was an explanation as to why the Captain himself was so angry. Isabella listened intently to Will's words and only gave a slight nod from time to time.

Looking down and closing his eyes, the Captain gave into his mind's demand to focus on the root of his fury. A new wave of discomfort swept over him as his second in command came to mind.

"Damn it Lin!" he muttered under his breath. Why was she so reckless and stubborn!? The Captain wondered how someone could be so brilliant, so sharp, so collected… Captain Brenner was forced out of his mental rant by a gloved hand on his shoulder. Already aware of who the person was, he kept his eyes closed and asked, "Well!?"

The question came out a little more aggressive then he had meant but at this time he didn't really care enough to expend the energy it would take to keep the anger from his voice. Dr. Morris withdrew his hand and regarded the Captain with sympathy and understanding.

"She's fine." He said.

At his own words he could visibly see the Captain's relief although it did little to diffuse his temper. Taking a breath the Doctor continued, "She needs bed rest… I've bandaged her up pretty well and as long as she doesn't move around she should be fully healed in no time. The damage wasn't as bad as we initially feared."

Brenner finally opened his eyes and fixed the medic with a penetrating stare. He became aware of Will and Isabella approaching from their position on the crate.

"I'll go have a word with the Lieutenant then if that is the case." Catching his queue, Dr. Morris turned on his heel and walked away from the tent with only a nod in the Captain's direction.

"Hey wait a sec-." He heard Will say as the doctor grabbed him and Isabella and directed them in the opposite direction from where the Captain stood. Brenner felt a certain gratitude toward the doctor as he waited for the trio to be out of sight. Once he felt certain, the Captain pushed aside the entrance flap and entered the tent.

The immediate change from the windy outside atmosphere to the silent one of the tent was the first thing that Brenner noticed. The fairly large structure was dimly lit with make shift lights that hung loosely from the ceiling. They weren't ideal but they provided enough light for one to navigate through the various supplies and medical equipment.

There were four beds: The best four cots that the wolves had, and were reserved for those who were injured during battle. To Brenner's irritation all the cots were currently unoccupied. Moving forward he stepped out into the center of the cots and fixed his second in command with a menacing glare.

Lin regarded the look on her Captain's face for a brief moment before shrugging it off and continuing her efforts to stand up straight. With one arm wrapped tightly under her breast and the other reaching out for a stack of thick crates, Lin silently praised herself for her managing to stand up so far.

"Stop it." Brenner's voice came in a very deep and commanding tone. Lin didn't fail to notice the hint of irritation either. "Really, Captain, it's fine." Despite the obvious frustration in her Captain's eyes, Lin focused her efforts on taking a step. She quickly regretted it as her entire rib cage throbbed in pain. She ground her teeth together in an unsuccessful attempt to stifle a groan.

He moved quickly and silently, securing his arms around her shoulders before gently lowering her down onto the bed.

Lin didn't protest. She knew there was no point. Instead she observed her Captain's odd behavior. For one thing, Brenner was very slow to anger and in the present moment he was livid. Another thing was his sudden invasion into her personal space.

As far as Lin was concerned, she was positive that she could sit down again without assistance. She was confident that lying down on the bed was also a feat that she could accomplish on her own.

The Captain however, disagreed as was made obvious by his continued efforts to push her head down onto the pillow. Lin raised her eyebrows in his direction in a skeptical manner.

It began to rain outside as the temperature had noticeably dropped. Brenner fixed his gaze upward to the waterproof ceiling of the tent for a brief moment then grabbed a nearby stool and sat. Lin sent him a questioning glance, "Is there something you require Captain?"

For a moment he sat in silence his head turned toward the entrance as the rain continued to pour. Slowly his head turned and he fixed her with a seemingly detached look. Lin however, was not fooled, she could see the anger he was trying to repress.

"Well Lieutenant, I suppose there is…" He paused, trying to keep himself in check. Lin knew now for sure that he was upset with her; he usually always addressed her by her first name when they were alone. Especially since the meteors hit, he had started to call her Lin even in front of the wolves.

Lin's full attention turned to her Captain as he spoke once more, "I would like to know why you disobeyed my orders." Lin knew this was coming. She took in a deep breath and ran one hand through her long, black hair. She shivered; it was colder then before thanks to the rain and her uniform didn't provide her with much warmth.

"Because sir… I believed that if the Beast himself were to be defeated on the field that the rest of the raiders would have pulled back." Lin answered him with confidence. When she noticed Brenner remained silent, she elaborated her explanation.

"Our main force was practically being overrun, thus, to ensure the safety of our troops, I decided to take advantage of a defensive opening and advance on the enemy commander." She shivered again while wishing for warmer clothing.

"By yourself…?" it was more a statement then a question.

"Yes, a smaller force moves quicker and is a lot less likely to be detected."

"But you _were_ detected Lieutenant!" Brenner no longer forced the anger from his voice; she had to understand the gravity of her actions. "You were detected and attacked with no support at all!" He yelled. "I told you to retreat!" Brenner was breathing harder again, he has had a number of arguments with his Lieutenant in the past. In fact Dr. Morris had joked that they sounded like an old married couple…(not such an amusing joke).

"I didn't even know where you were. When the recon showed up without you…" He paused again, his mind reliving the fear and anxiety he had felt at that very moment on the battlefield. Sighing, he undid the buttons and straps on his heavy uniform jacket. Without a word he unzipped the coat and slipped it off his broad shoulders.

"Captain, what are-?"

Brenner held the jacket out in front of him as if inspecting it, and then placed it over Lin's cold shoulders. The sudden warmth came as a shock to her body, the temperature difference causing her to shiver once more.

A second, even greater shock came when an equally warm hand was placed gently on the side of her face. Lin's eyes went wide and were met by an intense gaze from the Captain. Slowly he tilted her face towards his own. He leaned in closer so that their faces were only inches apart. He hadn't noticed that his thumb had moved over her lips and was lightly touching them. This served a few purposes, one being an effective silencer.

"Leading a one man assault on the enemy was not one of your more brilliant ideas Lin." He spoke quietly this time, aware of their physical closeness. Her reaction to it greatly interested him; eyes wide, fast uneven breathing, though it was slowing…

They had had moments in the past like this where they had ended up alone and close, but never would he dare act on any physical instinct. The farthest he would allow himself would be a hand on her face or sometimes her shoulder. It had become a kind of acceptable show of affection, something that Lin had never denied her Captain.

He stayed like that unmoving, ideas he knew that he would later deem unacceptable flickered in and out of his mind. He grudgingly pulled away from her, aware that his limits were reaching their boundaries. He Stood gingerly and addressed her once more, "Please, Lin, do not put yourself in danger again… and follow orders." The last part was said with a small smile. With that he turned to leave back out the tent and into the rain.

Lin stared at the flap through which her superior officer just left. Slowly, she let her head fall back onto the thin pillow. Though it was relatively cold the Lieutenant couldn't help but notice the thin layer of sweat that had developed on her brow. She also noticed her breathing was slightly shallow.

The injured Lieutenant wiped her forehead and pulled the thick, military issue jacket tighter around her self. It was perhaps, too warm.

It smells like him…obviously, Lin thought to herself. She was currently debating about the cause of her increased body temperature. There were multiple, possible causes, her wounds for instance.

Dr. Morris better be right about the amount of time this is going to take.

She brought a finger up to her lips without touching them. They burned where her Captain had touched them. She licked them in an attempt to cool them, then sighed in frustration as her attempt was in vein. Instead she focused on trying to fall asleep.

"Honestly Brenner…"

Left with only a white muscle top, the outdoor climate seemed much harsher. The rain felt very cold on bare skin, but he didn't really mind it. He'd been through worse. Besides, Lin would have frozen. The Captain simply wouldn't have that.

Now that he had _checked up_ on her and knew she was alright, he had other things that he needed to get done. The camp was still not fully set up. In retrospect, the Captain knew it would have made more sense to set up camp first and then go see her. His men had been left to figure things out without his or Lin's instruction for a short while. "Yah, that wasn't responsible…"

As if on queue a few soldiers walked up, looking relieved to see him. After receiving their reports on the camp's set up status, the Captain gave further instruction and got to work him self.

Most of the civilians were still out in the rain waiting for shelter. For this reason Brenner urged the men to quickly complete putting up the civilian tents. They were overcrowded, but it was all the 12th Battalion had to offer. The tents them selves were large enough to shelter approximately 40 people, that is if the civilians slept side by side. This fact had been a growing concern since the creeper had started to spread, such close proximity made it very easy for the pathogen to spread uninhibited. So far the disease was only attacking children, however, Dr. Morris feared that a mutation enabling indiscriminant infection was not too far away. The Captain shook his head as he tightly secured the rope into the ground hook, there had been better days for the wolves but so far they were surviving.

Brenner had to take pride in his men and they way they were working. The troops, divided into groups, were amazingly focused and efficient in their tasks. Despite all of the horrid things the Battalion had to deal with on a regular basis (including the currently unstoppable virus), they refused to give up.

After a few hours all the civilians were sheltered. Brenner worked with a number of his men on moving around supplies and combat equipment. Oddly enough Brenner found lifting the heavy crates to be somewhat therapeutic and relaxing. Perhaps it was because he got the chance to talk with the men. He surveyed them for a brief moment; most of the men assisting him with the task were close friends that he'd known for a long time. They were something like the 'original Brenner's Wolves', the ones that had survived with him when the meteors came down.

"Oi Captain! How is she?" the question came from a soldier named Ryan Kaine, a close friend of the Captain's. Brenner figured that the others gave him the task of asking because he knew the Captain better. Brenner sighed as he stacked the box of ammunition he was carrying. He looked up to see that all the men had stopped and were awaiting an answer.

"She'll be fine as long as she rests." After a brief evaluation of their Captain's mood the soldiers silently agreed that the discussion topic was a safe one.

"That's good to hear, she didn't look good when we got there." Another soldier said as the rest proceeded to finish their job.

"Yah, and we got there pretty damned fast!" Ryan added. "You got pretty aggressive when you realized she was missing Captain." The Captain just waved a hand dismissively in the air.

"At least they retreated when their commander was wounded; we would have had a much harder time breaking through all that heavy machinery."

As much as he wanted to argue it, Brenner knew that the man was right; they had been struggling to defend against the massive firepower. The enemy retreat was what gave the Wolves the opening to attack and eventually route the raiders. Where the raiders had even acquired so much firepower was beyond him.

At the time the Captain had been operating a medium tank in a standard group of ten tanks. He had split the group in half, one half to assist the main attacking force and the other which included himself. His group had gone on ahead to find the Lieutenant.

Brenner sighed, the memory giving him a sick feeling. The men continued with some light talk until the job was finished. By then the rain had stopped and the camp was covered in complete darkness, (not so different from the day thanks to all the debris blocking the sun's rays).

Because of the high chance that the raiders had regrouped and were probably looking for them, the Captain ordered that no fires were to be lit and that as less light as possible was to be used. As he had expected the Mayor had seen fit to complain about the temporary ban. It was obvious to everyone that any form of light was a bad idea right now, the Mayor too probably realized this fact but had to find something to complain about. The Captain knew that if Lin had been present during the Mayor's complaining, as she usually was, that the man wouldn't have been able to rant for more than thirty seconds before she shut him up. Brenner snorted at the thought, jolting the Mayor out of his string of complaints.

Instantly the short man's face was red with anger, his squinty eyes glaring at the exhausted Captain. "Laughing at me eh, Brenner! You think that the combined concerns of the people are amusing do you?"

For a brief moment the Captain regarded the Mayor. It seemed that this man wasn't fazed by the effects of the meteors in the slightest. He still had quite a _full_ physique and hadn't quite become aware of what constituted a legitimate reason to open one's mouth and complain. "Listen Mayor, light is a bad idea right now and I cannot allow it. The raiders would be on us in no time, it's just too dangerous."

The Mayor wasn't convinced, "Dangerous, Brenner is the situation that you've created here! People can't even see where they are going, someone is going to fall and get hurt and when that happens, it is entirely your fault"

The Captain sighed, this man was a real nuisance, "I am aware that it is very difficult to maneuver around the camp, that is why I recommended that all civilians should remain in their tents"

"Oh, so now you give us orders Brenner? Telling us what we can and can't do!" the Mayor huffed.

"I am simply trying to protect you. Any form of light is suicide. Good night Mayor." Brenner made to leave the small tent (the Mayor's private quarters) with the intent of finding food and some sort of bed.

"Trying to protect us Brenner? Is that why you were no where to be found after the battle this afternoon? Leaving the soldiers and civilians to fend for themselves eh?"

Captain Brenner stopped in his tracks, his back facing the Mayor. There was truth to what the man had said. It had been selfish of him to leave his men and the civilians without giving formal orders. Ryan had filled in for him, but that didn't excuse his absence from the scene.

"Where exactly were you Brenner?" the Mayor demanded. Without a thought the Captain turned to face the civilian leader, "I was with my Lieutenant, who was injured during battle." Brenner felt no inclination to lie although he did feel guilty. He eyed the Mayor, challenging him not to press the issue further. "I apologize for my absence."

The Mayor continued to stare at Brenner, a slightly twisted smile on his face, "Ah, I see…" For a moment the Captain had a bad feeling about the mayor's silence, perhaps he was saving his find for a more public atmosphere before he addressed this particular issue any further. Without another word to the other man, the Captain exited the tent.

Approximately an hour later the Captain was making his way toward the medical tent. Brenner understood how it would be difficult for civilians to move about in the darkness, but he had to admit that it wasn't so bad for a trained soldier to do so. As he approached the tent he heard familiar voices coming from inside. The Captain entered the tent and found Will and Isabella sitting by Lin's bed. All three sets of eyes turned to him as he walked in.

"Hey! Sup Captain?" Will greeted enthusiastically. "Hello Captain Brenner!" Isabella seemed as excited as Will. The Captain couldn't help but smile, "Hi kids, what are you up to?"

"We brought Lin some food to eat!" Isabella said. Will nodded, "we wanted to see how Lieutenant Lin was doing". Neither seemed to mind being addressed as kids.

Brenner pulled up the same stool as earlier and sat. Will and Isabella were once again sitting side by side on a supply crate. Brenner turned his attention to the woman lying on the bed (still thank god). "And how are you feeling Lin?"

"Fine as always sir" she answered. The Captain smiled, "Good".

For a moment there was silence between all the individuals. Isabella was first to brake it, "When will you be better Lin?"

Lin turned to the younger girl, "I should be better by tomorrow". "Wow! Already? Are you sure sir?" Will added as he put an arm over Isabella's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm sure Will" she answered giving the boy a smug look, he wasn't as subtle as he liked to think he was. Lin noticed that Isabella did not seem to mind, in fact she was leaning into him.

Lin resisted the natural erg to poke fun at the young cadet whose face was a few shades redder then it had been a moment ago. "You two look tired, you should get some sleep" Brenner said.

"Yah, guess so, come on Isabella let's go" Will slowly moved off the crate guiding her with the arm around her shoulders. "Okay, good night Lin, good night Captain" Isabella said before yawning. "I hope you feel better soon Lin." Isabella whispered before the young pair disappeared into the darkness.

"Will they be able to find their way safely without the light?" Lin asked quietly.

"I think so, despite what the Mayor said, if there're careful they should be fine" Brenner answered with a hint of strain in his voice.

Lin immediately registered her Captain's comment, "What did that whining brat say to you now?" Brenner was flattered by the slight red tinge on her cheeks and intensity in her eyes. "That's not important, he's just doing what he always does, complain"

"Well, did you tell him where to go?" Lin huffed.

The Captain simply smiled, "Forget about that, I want to know why you think you will be up and about tomorrow." Brenner was careful to speak gently; he didn't want to upset her.

"Because I will be" the Lieutenant answered her voice crisp and cool. "I will not permit that Lieutenant". Brenner still maintained a gentle tone yet managed to sound firm. Lin said nothing, deciding that it would be unfair to argue with her superior especially since he had probably received a mouthful from the ingrate Mayor. The two descended into a comfortable silence.

Lin carefully examined her Captain; he looked exhausted, even more so then usual. For that she blamed herself, (and possibly the Mayor). His face seemed to be taunt with stress and he appeared to be lost in thought. Her eyes moved over to his bare arms and defined torso, then it hit her.

Lin's sudden movements caused Brenner to refocus on the room. When he looked up, his military jacket that he had given to her earlier was in front of his face. "Take this back Captain, you need it" When the man made no movement at all she added "I'm fine, Will and Isabella brought me a blanket".

Lin who was propped up on one elbow made a notion to the end of the bed where a folded blanket sat. Lin breathed a sigh of relief as he reached for the jacket and took it from her.

Still propped up on an elbow, Lin turned her attention to the blanket and stretched her hand out toward the end of the bed to grab it, "Thank you for not being diffi-" Lin stopped talking when she felt Brenner lift the jacket over her head and wrap it around her, back to front. A split second later his hands moved to her back and he pulled her gently into a warm embrace.

Lin's mind was entirely blank as her head rested in the crook of his neck and shoulder. His arms surrounded her, supporting her body and pressed her against him. Brenner let his cheek rest on the top her head.

The Captain was too enthralled with how everything felt to think enough to scold himself. The demand he had felt to embrace her at the time had come too quickly and powerfully for him to refuse. Now he just wanted it to last as long as possible.

Lin abandoned all reason; she forced her self to block out thoughts like the consequences if someone were to walk in on them in their current position.

"Tighter…" Lin whispered her voice hazy. Ten seconds past before Brenner tightened his grip around her, he was careful not to hurt her. Lin felt herself drifting to sleep and didn't fight to stay awake. Brenner noticed this, first, through the softening sound of her slowed breathing. He smiled and decided to hold her until he was certain she had fallen asleep.

Finally, he released her onto the bed, careful not to wake her. He unfolded the blanket and placed it over her, his jacket already wrapped around her.

The Captain took one last look before leaving into the darkness.

**Well then, you may be asking me "What the hell was that Phoenix?" I tell you now I just wanted to write up a little something to ease some of the intense stress that is a result of my mid-term exams. University can really suck big time. This was some major Brenner/Lin and I hope I managed to keep them in character. There was also some Will/Isabella which I am sure you noticed. That's a good pairing too. Anyway, I must reach out to anyone who reads this: WRITE SOME DoR!! Please! I complained about the lack of fics in my last one-shot (god I'm like the frigging Mayor). If anyone writes me a nice, wholesome Brenner/Lin fic I will be indebted to you and forever grateful. Geez, I'm practically begging. Please review, that would be awesome. **


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